


2. A Day on the Ranch

by AdmYrrek



Series: The Nation of Ownteli [2]
Category: Equideow | Howrse (Video Game), Original Work
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Animal Husbandry, Animal Welfare, Anthropomorphic, Biopunk, Bullying, Domestic Disputes, Domestic Violence, Dwarves, Furry, Gay Male Character, Gen, Horses, Moral Ambiguity, Morality, Multiple Religion & Lore Sources, POV Animal, Pirates, Religious Discussion, Social Issues, Social Justice, Talking Animals, Trans Character, Unicorns, Worldbuilding, animal rights
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:34:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26398744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdmYrrek/pseuds/AdmYrrek
Summary: After the literal life-upending experience of finding himself in a new world — one where cats and swine walk upright as men and horses speak — Rahkus, the little 17th Century Irish pirate, has settled in. As much as one can anyway. He's still possibly in Hell, or the Fey Lands, but at least he's fed, housed, and has a job which will supposedly pay. Damned or no, what more could he really want?Now Rahkus' task is to learn his job, and that means the pirate must learn the ropes of the ranch. His teacher; a talking pony and his tiny stallion lover. Who better to instruct him in the ways of such a queer place?
Series: The Nation of Ownteli [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686145





	1. But First... Breakfast!

**Author's Note:**

> This story's setting is based VERY loosely on the browser game Howrse.
> 
> I have used the mechanics of the game to flesh out a setting and the dynamics of the community to rough out a political and social structure. After that, it is entirely populated by my own original characters and their antics within that world I see suggested by the game. Some of my "avatar" characters are versions of the game's "divine" horses to whom I have ascribed personalities.
> 
> For more information, read the series summary and notes. Each chapter will have specific warnings as needed.
> 
> I plan to update weekly on Thursdays.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rahkus meets up with Tony and Ande, the talking ponies, who will show him the ropes of his new duties on the ranch. But before they start the day, there must be breakfast. For the little pirate, the plenty on display is more than he's ever seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: Discussions of food
> 
> Estimated reading time: 11 mins

The morning of Rahkus’ third day in this new, unnatural world was a spectacular one. 

He had been awake when the pre-dawn glow had crept up the backs of the razor-like mountain range behind the plateau. It had lit up the distant sky while the ranch was still in the shadow of night. And whenever the sky above the sea was alight, the sea reflected that. So the morning had been like patches of night being cleared away piece by piece rather than by a smooth, almost imperceptible shift. 

Rahkus had watched it from the roof walk with his feet dangling down over the edge. After dinner the night before he had requisitioned some rope. Vesne had given him an odd look when he’d asked for it, but found him some all the same. And then just… gave it to him! He hadn’t even needed to pay. Nor did she say she’d take it from his share.

He had used it to make himself some rigging so he could climb out his window to the roof and back again without all that bother of the stairs. It gave the place more a feel of the familiar. 

Being up high did too. From that height, it almost felt like he was back up in the crow’s nest. He could see everything in all directions, except past the mountain range. That rose behind the ranch like a great storm wave that would drown the whole place if it were water rather than slate gray stone. And that lone peak — the one the cat demon said was the dwarf stronghold — loomed highest on the horizon. An outlook far above his perch.

While things were still grey and color was trying to seep back into the world, a sound from down below in the courtyard drew Rahkus’ attention. He swiveled around to the inner side of the roof walk. He saw the little pair of ponies, Tony and Ande, emerge from their flat down below on the ground floor of the main lodge. They seemed to be heading slowly towards the galley. As he was supposed to go with them today, and he didn’t know how long they’d wait for him, he decided he’d better shift.

Rahkus quickly made his way across the roof walk to the stairway, down the four flights, into the lounge area, out the front doors, and around through the open gateways into the garden. He trotted to a halt just short of intercepting the two ponies. They pulled up short, heads up and ears erect, nostrils flaring with apparent surprise.

Rahkus’ grin faded with uncertainty. He hadn’t meant to surprise them, and… How was one supposed to greet ponies with the minds of men?

“Ah… G’mornin’ t’ye!” he eventually managed with forced eagerness. They stood attentive with ears perked at him and nostrils blowing clouds of breath into the cold air.

“Ye, ah… always start at dawn?” he asked, struggling to find something to say.

“More or less,” Tony snorted as he dropped his head, apparently less energized than Rahkus and not bothering to hide it. Ande knickered something that sounded like he was trying to be playful, but he too sounded tired.

“Yeah,” the talking pony apparently agreed with the avatar. “You sound chipper though. You an early bird?”

Rahkus shrugged.

“Aye, plus Ah still ain’t used t’sleepin’ on land. S’not natural it not movin’ like it does.”

Tony cast his head and one of his ears to the side in Rahkus’ direction.

“What do you mean sleeping on land? You used to sleeping in trees or something?”

Ande again knickered something in a more lively tone this time. Tony huffed in amusement at whatever he said.

“Ah were onna ship most’a m’days b’fore comin’ here,” Rahkus explained. “Used t’everyt’ing movin’. It don’t feel right t’be still.”

Tony huffed again, this time not in amusement. It sounded like the sort of grunting noise someone makes when they have nothing to say to a new piece of information. He turned his attention back towards the galley, but took care to walk around Rahkus and give him a wide enough berth so that he couldn’t touch them.

“So, ah… Eric… ‘e ah… ‘E tol’ me t’meet’che ‘ere t’is mornin’. Fer learnin’ an’ such?” Rahkus asked, suddenly concerned that his assigned teachers were edging away from him.

One of Tony’s ears tracked off distractedly towards Ande who blew through his nostrils in a great plume of condensed breath and shook his head. The ear returned to facing Rahkus.

“Well, yes,” Tony responded, “But that comes after breakfast. C’mon.”

The pair, headed by Tony, pushed past Rahkus and ambled towards the galley. Though he hadn’t seen it before, this door also had a pull rope. The tiny talking pony used it much as he had his own door pull to open it and let themselves in. Rahkus followed cautiously.

“Aye there Ande! Tony!” came a booming voice that made Rahkus recoil. 

Campbell, the boar master of the galley kitchen, waved at them as they came in. The two ponies nodded their long equine heads in a sort of responding wave and made their way to a low table in a corner.

“And is that you, Rahkus?” the cook continued, seeming to squint in his direction. Rahkus did not want to attract the cook’s attention, but he also didn’t want to appear a coward and just flee again.

“Aye! S’me,” he answered in what he hoped was a friendly tone. “Ah uh… Gotta wash m’hands.”

Rahkus made good on his excuse and busied himself at the wash basin at the interior entrance of the galley. From there, he watched sidelong as the boar demon brought the two little ponies each a small steaming bowl. He set these down on the low table, which Rahkus noticed was a perfect height for them to stand at and eat from the bowls comfortably. The three of them made some brief talk before the two ponies dipped their muzzles into the bowls and tucked in.

Unfortunately, the boar did not go back to his kitchen. Instead, the beast stayed there looking like he was waiting for Rahkus to come back, what with the massive ears and tiny eyes pointed in his direction.

Rahkus gritted his teeth and made his way slowly over to the table. The two small ponies were busy eating and showed little interest, though Tony seemed to watch the goings on with a side-eyed glance. Not that equines had any other kind. 

When he was a few meters from the table, Rahkus stopped. He nodded to Campbell. The boar demon was at least keeping back and attentive to Rahkus’ hesitance.

“G’morn t’ye.”

The hog brightened. Something about the cant of his ears. His snout flexed.

“‘Pologies fer startling you yesterday, Rahkus,” Campbell said.

Rahkus nodded, not especially sure what to say.

“What’ja like for breakfast?”

Rahkus glanced over at what Tony and Ande were eating. It looked like some sort of mash or porridge.

“Wot’e’er most folks ‘ave, Ah suppose,” he eventually said, not really knowing what there was to choose from. He wasn’t used to having choices about food. Campbell nodded and shuffled off back to the kitchen.

“Did Eric tell you about taking a lunch?” Tony asked around chewing his last of his mash.

“Aye?” 

“Well, you best go get it,” the pony added with a nod towards the kitchens.

Rahkus had never taken orders from a pony before. It was… odd. But the pair looked to be ready to head out, and Rahkus didn’t want to test if they’d wait on him. If he was going to eat and not get left behind on the first day of working for this new crew, he’d best get a move on.

He approached the half wall that separated the kitchen from the rest of the galley hall. As the cat had explained yesterday, there was a collection of what looked like small hemp grain bags. The bags were set up near little propped up slates with chalk drawings on them. Eric had been right; the boar demon couldn’t draw, but his scribblings were understandable enough that Rahkus figured he had grabbed a bag with a wedge of cheese. A quick look confirmed.

This time when Campbell approached, Rahkus was ready for him.

“‘Ere ye are. A breakfast pasty,” the hog said, handing him a somewhat familiar food item in a rough kerchief over the kitchen’s half wall. 

“It’s the favorite breakfast ‘round here. That ‘un’s got rabbit. Courtesy of our groundskeeper Theron, brought in yesterday evening.”

Rahkus took the offered breakfast carefully. He was not keen to touch the talking pig’s trotter. There was something unsettling about taking food handed over by something he was more used to being food. 

Once he had the pasty, Rahkus found it was hot, heavy, and smelled delicious. Though he had eaten well the night before, his stomach loudly demanded attention. Now. So he took a careful bite.

The crust was crisp and flaky. Rahkus did not know enough about food to recognize it was also buttery, but he did know delicious when he tasted it. The crust gave way to steaming contents that threatened to burn his mouth; tender potato and peas, a savory gravy not unlike stew, and — most exciting — ample, luscious chunks of meat.

Rahkus devoured the thing standing there by the kitchen’s short wall. He ignored that it burned his mouth. It was just too much good, hot food to not eat it all right then and there. 

And the meat! 

Rahkus didn’t know rabbit from fowl, but he knew he had never had game that was so fresh. Sometimes, when ships put into ports, they would take on new supplies of smoked meats, salted fish, some cheeses, and other fresh foods. But that never lasted and he had rarely gotten much if any of the good supplies since he was so low-ranked onboard most of his ships. At best he’d get salt pork, salt beef, or dried and salted fish. The freshest meats he ever got to enjoy was when he’d caught his own fish, or after he learned to catch gulls. But he’d never had game that had been alive the afternoon before, let alone cooked into something so satisfying as the pasty.

The other marvelous thing was how much meat there was. Though he had had meat or fish at every meal here in this bewitched place, Rahkus still could not fathom how there was so much meat here that was available to all, even him. Who was he? Just a newcomer to the crew who hadn’t even worked a day yet. And no one kept track of how much he ate! So it wasn’t even that there were shares. It was just there. Available. He hadn’t known a time when there was so much good food to eat as a body pleased. That alone might make the oddity of the place worth it.

When he finally remembered himself, Rahkus found Campbell with a lopsided grin around his mismatched tusks and beaming through his swinty little pig eyes.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he proclaimed proudly. Then he put out his trotter again in a gesture that made Rahkus pause. Did Campbell expect him to shake his… hand? 

“Give him the serviette back,” Tony huffed, suddenly at his side. Rahkus turned his attention from the boar demon’s hoof-hand down to the pony. 

“T’wot?” 

“That,” the talking pony said, nodding his whole face at the piece of fabric. “Give it to him and let’s get going.”

Chagrined, Rahkus offered the kerchief back to the hog and nodded awkwardly.

Tony and Ande took their leave. Rahkus followed them a few steps but then stopped.

“Aye, Campbell?”

“Hmm?” the hog snuffled over the kitchen’s half wall.

“Can Ah… uh… Can Ah ‘ave anot’er pasty? Ah’ll bring t’kerchief back t’ye wit’ t’sack,” he said, indicating the lunch he had tied to his belt.

“A’course lad,” the boar said with an even wider grin. He ducked down and popped back up with another hot, heavy pasty wrapped in the same kerchief. He handed it off with a wink.

“There y’go. Now you best be off after those two or they’ll leave you behind,” he said with a nod towards the door. Rahkus looked around to see that yes, the two ponies were leaving without him.

Rahkus nodded a thanks and ran off in pursuit, eating his second breakfast pasty as he ran.


	2. Gifts From the (Equine) Gods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rahkus, the ex-pirate, meets more of the avatars — those odd talking horses who think themselves gods, or close enough to — and finds some of them have very lucrative skills. The divine horses however seem to look down on Tony, the talking pony, in more ways than just literally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: Bullying and mocking in an untranslated language
> 
> Estimated reading time: 13 mins

It wasn’t hard for Rahkus to catch up with Tony and Ande. They’d only made it to the edge of the dining patio since they were still plodding as slowly as they had been before despite having had their breakfast.

Rahkus did a little dance of uncertainty when he reached them. They walked side by side; should he follow behind or walk beside? He wound up bumping into Tony as the three of them passed through the non-gates of the main lodge. The talking pony’s ears flattened to his neck and Rahkus opted for walking on the far side of Andy. At least in that position he couldn’t be kicked.

It wasn’t exactly bustling out in the sort-of courtyard out in front of the main lodge. The cluster of workshops were silent, though smoke rose from the chimney of the black and white bear demon’s forge. Rahkus wondered if she had an apprentice who kept it stoked through the night. The low open-faced barn Eric had called the breeding barns were also empty and quiet. The arena with the ranch office and supposedly the cat demon’s quarters above it were similarly still. Rahkus saw now that the space above the office had a magnificent window that took up most of the middle of the space. It faced the main lodge, meaning the cat demon could see who was coming and going from the main lodge. And perhaps, if one stood on the top walk, they might see into his quarters.

Rahkus tucked that information away for later.

The ponies made slowly for a central fountain out in the middle of the town square. Several of the horses — or rather, avatars, Rahkus assumed — were already there, apparently getting a drink and having a chat.

The quintet of horse-shaped creatures were massive beasts to Rahkus’ eye. Even the smallest one was a respectable height for a standard horse even though it was obviously no such thing. It was orange and dripped pale yellowy-orange crystals from its coat with every move. 

The tallest of the group was a massive grey-coated thing. Rahkus knew without question he could walk under its belly and would have to reach up to touch its underside. But more impressive than its size was that it seemed to be covered in shiny rich orange sheen that moved slowly downward. It was as though the thing’s orange-red mane and tail oozed sap like a cut pine. This collected on its coat and eventually dropped off in large, honey-golden globules the size of small eggs. These struck the ground with the sound of stones. Sometimes they bounced and settled into the pebbles of the ground, and other times they struck a stone and splintered like glass.

Or crystal.

The other three horses — though Rahkus was very certain all five of these creatures were avatars — included what looked to be a tattooed chestnut horse with flaxen mane and tail, a heavy-bodied dappled brown plow horse with Mongol-like mane adornments, and another massive beast whose white coat was studded with deep green gems. Like with the orange-coated creature and the sap-oozing behemoth, the green-studded white avatar seemed to drop its jewels as it moved. 

None of the five seemed to notice this gem shedding, but the ground around them literally sparkled from them. Even from this distance, Rahkus could see ground glitter around their feet.

“Are t’ose avatars?” Rahkus asked of the two tiny ponies in a sort of hoarse whisper before they got too close. Ande offered a two-part chitter and one of Tony’s ears tracked to the side.

“He said, ‘Yes,’” Tony translated.

The tiny white and red pegasus let loose a stream of bird-like chatter at Tony.

“I’m not translating that,” Tony huffed with flattened ears and a shake of his mane. “The human’s supposed to learn your language, so keep it simple.”

When the three of them were within a few lengths of the fountain, the quintet of avatars finally noticed them. The avatars apparently greeted them by throwing their heads up as high as they could manage and producing an open-mouthed shriek. Rahkus flinched at the noise and covered his ears.

“That was, ‘Good morning,’” Tony advised flatly after he and Ande returned the greeting in kind. “Put your hands down. Don’t be rude. I’m going to introduce you.”

Ande whinnied something that involved many head-bobs and tail flicks to the collected quintet of equines. They turned to regard Rahkus with ears up and nostrils flaring. It was all Rahkus could do to keep his eyes on the giant creatures rather than the collection of jewels at their feet.

Tony took over the introduction, gesturing first to Rahkus by gently touching his nose to his arm then uttering a string of nickering and short huffing whinnies. The five avatars offered a quick series of stuttered trills. Even though Rahkus didn’t know what they had said, it sounded like they had all said the same thing.

“They basically said, ‘Hello and welcome,’” Tony translated. “Not exactly that, but that’s what it means.”

“Oh… Uh… T’ank’ee,” Rahkus answered, bobbing his head at the odd horse things, not really sure what else to say. What’s proper manners when talking to horses? Why was he even wondering?

“This is Tokay,” Tony introduced, indicating the orange-coated avatar that shed yellowy-orange crystals. “Knox, Emmi, Adventurer, and Ambrose,” he continued, indicating the brown dapple, the green gem-studded avatar, the tattooed horse with flaxen mane, and the massive gray one that oozed orange stone sap.

This last one looked down at him curiously from his towering height. It first huffed at him with piqued ears, then one ear drifted off to the side. It chittered something in Tony’s direction. Tony responded in kind for a moment before turning to Rahkus.

“You  _ are _ a human, right?”

“Aye?”

After a pause, Rahkus broke into Tony’s renewed bird-horse noises. “Why’s e’ryone keep askin’ if Ah’m human?”

Tony’s ears suggested he was annoyed at being interrupted.

“Because you’re so short. Most have never seen a human that’s your height. But you’re too gracile for a dwarf and not nearly furry-feeted enough for a halfling.”

Rahkus scowled as Tony went back to his conversation with the much larger avatars. He didn’t know why Tony had called him graceful or whatever it was he said, but there was something wrong about a dog-sized bit of talking horseflesh calling him short.

Meanwhile, Ande took effortlessly to the air and alighted on the edge of the fountain. He knelt on the edge and dipped his head in to drink. Rahkus watched him briefly, but his one good eye soon strayed to the ground. In less than a second, he’d located the five largest gems that just sat there, ignored, in the gravel of the pavement.

If those were gems, he could only imagine what they might bring. Most jewels he’d ever seen while out at sea were on the necks and hands of lords and ladies. Occasionally they came loose in small lock boxes. But those were the sizes of pearls or seeds or walnuts at the largest. These that were just laying on the ground were the size of gulls eggs. And no one seemed to notice or care that they were there. They were just waiting to be picked up. 

Rahkus’ eyes snapped up when Tony made a horrible noise. Something like a hoarse roar… if something like that could come out of a tiny pony throat. Rahkus had been vaguely aware that Tony was getting into what sounded like an argument with the collection of avatars, but he had been too busy scanning the ground for more large gems to pay close attention. Now, the antics of the talking pony had all of his attention.

Tony was fuming. His ears were laid flat on his neck and his eyes were rolled to show the whites. He snorted and wheezed and roared again in between nickering chirps. He was swishing his tail back and forth aggressively. Sometimes he picked up a back leg like he was going to kick. He even snapped at the air as though threatening to bite. 

It was like Tony was trying to be a snarling dog or a lion, but couldn’t help being a squat little fuzzy pony.

Though Rahkus had seen horses and ponies get into fights before, he had never seen one quite so agitated before. Nor with such little effect. The avatars didn’t seem bothered at all by Tony’s tantrum. They simply stood staring with ears forward.

When Tony apparently said his piece, he huffed one final time and stamped down a decisive forehoof, then watched the avatars expectantly. After a beat or two, the quintet threw up their heads and broke into bouts of twittering knickers. This was laughter sure as anything, and it didn’t take much to figure out what was going on now, language or not.

While Tony fumed with pinned ears and stamping and tail swishing, the avatars moved off from the fountain at an unconcerned saunter, laughing as they went.

When the avatars were some distance away, Ande hopped down to the ground next to Tony and said something quietly. The talking pony did not respond besides an aggressively swishing tail.

“So, uh… Wot wuz t’at aboot?” Rahkus asked after a while of silence.

“Nothing!” the talking pony snapped, his ears still pinned.

Ande offered something in what might have been a consoling tone, but Tony answered him just as sharply.

“I know!”

Ande, with ears back but not pinned, swished his flagged tail and stalked off. Rahkus thought he looked affronted as the pegasus shook himself. Tony snorted and watched the others go for a while longer. When the five avatars turned around a building and disappeared from sight, he looked around. Rahkus did too.

There was some activity in the ranch’s town square, but it was still early and quiet. There were a few people — dwarves mostly — out and about, but most were headed towards the main lodge, probably for breakfast. No one seemed very interested in the gem-ladened gravel around the fountain. Or those around the fountain.

After making sure the coast was clear, Tony did his best to get at the water for a drink. It was not easy, given how short he was. He had to rear up on his stocky little hindlegs, prop his forelegs up on the slick stone of the fountain’s lip, splay them out to the side to keep himself balanced, and reach his neck as far as he could to get at the water. The inner edge of the fountain very obviously cut into the underside of his throat to the point he had to lift his head to swallow.

“D’ye want some ‘elp?” Rahkus offered. He wasn’t entirely sure how he could help, but he supposed he could at least cup some water in his hands or something.

“NO!” the pony managed around sucking water, ears again flattened against his neck.

Rahkus let him be. No point in getting bit by the temperamental little thing. Something was obviously eating at him from what the avatars had said, but it was none of Rahkus’ concern, especially if Tony was going to snap at him when he tried to help. So he busied himself with more important matters; treasure. 

He crouched to pick up some of the big shed jewels that littered the ground where the avatars had been. They couldn’t be real, could they?

Rahkus was no expert, but he had seen some jewels in his pirating. The green stones looked like emeralds. He had no idea what the yellowy-orange crystals were, nor what the orbs of smooth orange… stones? were that had come off of Ambrose. They looked and felt like polished crystals that were rounded like large flattened droplets. Some of them had dents in them from where they had hit the ground. They might have moved like sap then but they were solid now, even if they were not nearly as heavy as the crystals or the emeralds. The few that had split when they hit the ground had sharp edges, but they did not cut like glass.

“Izzis… gems?” Rahkus eventually asked, indicating the collection of colorful stones he had picked up.

Ande nodded and offered that two-part chitter Tony had said earlier meant ‘yes.’

When the talking pony eventually flopped ungracefully down from his strained efforts to drink from the fountain he shook himself.

“Yes. Tokay, Emmi, and Ambrose are gemstone avatars. Topaz, emerald, and amber respectively. They’re like Az, who Eric said you met yesterday. He’s sapphire.”

“So… jewels jist… fall offem?” Rahkus asked, trying to keep the amazement out of his tone. One of Tony’s ears went back.

“Obviously,” the pony retorted in evident annoyance.

“An’ no one… T’ey jist lay t’ere? On t’ground?”

This was getting too much, both for Rahkus’ credulity and apparently for Tony’s patience. The pony huffed and stamped a hoof.

“No. Because there’s always some busybody two-legger intent on collecting them for sale. Avatars might be representatives of the gods for all anyone knows, but even  _ they _ can’t escape getting used by you damned two-leggers in some way.”

Rahkus figured Tony probably would have growled at him if he could. 

Without another word, the little pony took off at a brisk trot going the way the five avatars had gone. Ande was close on his heels. Tony’s ears were back and he didn’t seem to bother with whether Rahkus was following. 

He wasn’t. 

Rahkus stood to watch them go. He needed to keep up with them, but he couldn’t just leave gems — literal treasure — all over the ground. What self-respecting pirate and low-born son of a whore could?

Rahkus stooped again and snatched up as many big stones as he could lay hands on quickly while watching the two depart. He wasn’t sure what got the pony so angry about the gems. It was plain enough the avatars had riled him up, so maybe Tony’s raging about the gems was just a spill-over tongue lashing. Leastways, there was no point in bothering the talking pony any more about the gems, and it didn’t sound like keeping them was against the rules, so Rahkus tucked several handfuls of them into his lunch sack at his belt and before he again jogged to catch up with his four-legged instructors.


	3. Shoe Politics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rahkus finds he has difficulty figuring out what to spend his new-found treasure on and he and Tony talk shoes of all things. It's apparently a touchy subject for the little talking pony. Who knew?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: References to prostitution, indirect animal rights discussion
> 
> Estimated reading time: 11 mins

Even with Tony setting a pace close to a trot, it wasn’t hard for Rahkus to catch up with him and Ande and keep up with the pair. He kept quiet as they left the town-like part of the ranch and went out into the surrounding fields and pastures since the talking pony was still bristling. Once out in the “country” part of the estate, however, Tony slowed to a business-like amble. 

The small clique of avatars was farther down the main path that to cut through and around pastures and crop fields. They were easy enough to make out, given how big they were. Their path was also easy to identify; the trio of gemstone avatars left a glittering trail in their wake. 

Rahkus occasionally stooped to collect more gems shed by the avatars as they walked. There were so many that his lunch sack was getting heavy and full. It swung uncomfortably as he walked, but even holding it still didn’t help much. To keep his mind off of the annoyance of it, he thought absently of what he might be able to do with the money from selling the jewels. 

For the first time in a while, Rahkus found it hard to think of what he’d spend his take on. He usually daydreamed about good meals, good alcohol, and a good bed — that is, one with someone in it to share the night with. But mostly he spent his money on good food since he got so little of it at sea. But now? What would he spend money on? 

The food here was better than what he’d ever bought and it came free as far as he could tell. And he had a place better than any inn that would let in the likes of him.

Rahkus supposed he could still spend money on good alcohol and probably good company. But he didn’t yet have mates to share good drink with, and he was wary of hunting for the sort of company he was most interested in just yet. Given what the cat demon said about buggery not being a sin up here on the ranch, he figured he could likely find some company to his liking up here. Maybe even one of the dwarves. It would be interesting taking up with one close to his own size for once. But he also figured finding “company” up on the ranch was a bit more like matelotage than it was simply buying a whore for the night.

The dappled brown form of Knox broke off from the group of avatars in the distance and drew Rahkus out of his financial thoughts. The avatar let himself into a pasture and took off at a gallop. Rahkus watched the bulky creature’s antics in the pasture, utterly perplexed. The Mongol-adorned avatar seemed to be rounding up a herd of other, similarly sized equine beasts. Unlike Knox, the horses he rounded up were white, gray, or black, making him easy to identify. 

“Wot’s ‘e doin’?”

“Rounding up the drafts,” Tony answered flatly.

“Why?”

“To take them to their unpaid labor of the day,” Tony snorted. Beside him, Ande nickered something. Tony sighed heavily as though whatever the pegasus had said pained his sensibilities. 

“He rounds the drafts up everyday to take them to work in the mines,” he explained again in a weary tone. “Eric rents out their labor to the dwarves in the mountain as part of his deal with the clan. They usually either are hauling iron ore up from deeper in the mines to the forges, or they haul finished steel out and down to Havmunn for sale or trade.”

Ande twittered an addition.

“Yeah,” Tony agreed with a note of annoyance. “He said the dwarves keep the ranch in steel for the ‘service’ too. Not that that benefits the drafts any,” he translated.

Ande retorted.

“Horses aren’t meant to wear shoes! It’s not natural!” Tony quipped hotly in response to the pegasus. “It damages their feet and joints and restricts the normal working of the hoof! The natural hoof of a walking horse is supposed to be part of the circulation system! Might as well wrap the heart in a steel cage as to put metal shoes on a horse. There’s no cause for it!” 

Ande cocked an ear off to the side and flicked his flag tail at Tony’s rant. Rahkus was beginning to think the gesture was the horse — or at least avatar — equivalent of a human rolling their eyes. The little pegasus seemed to say something either condescending or weary.

“Well no one seems to listen!” Tony shot back. “Owner of the ranch is a blacksmith who employs another blacksmith. Half of what they do is put shoes on horses. Seems fine enough for his own kind to go barefoot, but he makes most every other creature on the place wear shoes. Surprised he didn’t force this one to wear shoes,” Tony added, waving his whole head at Rahkus.

“Eric asked me iffen Ah wanted shoes,” Rahkus piped up. Tony quirked an ear in his direction.

“And you turned him down?” he asked with evident interest. Rahkus nodded. “Why?”

“Ain’t used to’em,” Rahkus said with a shrug, looking down at his bare feet as he walked along the gravel and dirt path. 

“‘Most ne’er had’em most’a me life. Got a pair once when…” he trailed off, deciding against finishing the thought. His crew had hit a ship with a scholar and his young pupil aboard. Rahkus had “acquired” the shoes of the boy as part of his take from that hit. Stealing shoes from a child was probably frowned upon, even by talking ponies who didn’t like shoes.

“Dinnea like’em,” Rahkus added quickly. “T’ey pinched’n felt queer. Ah coouldnea walk proper. Plus ye cannea climb riggin’ wearin’ em an’t’ey make yer feet soft.”

“Exactly!” Tony said in eager agreement. “It’s just the same with horses.”

“Ah t’ought shoes were fer protectin’ t’hooves?” Rahkus asked. In truth, he had never thought about horseshoes one way or another. But if they were going to be walking the ranch all day, it would be less boring if they were talking. And Tony at least seemed to have a lot to say about horse shoes.

“That’s what humans claim they’re for,” the pony scoffed. “And I suppose that’s true to some extent. But horses’ hooves only need protecting because humans and other two-leggers use them and put them in situations that are unnatural and dangerous to them in the first place. If they were left well enough alone, their hooves wouldn’t need protecting.”

Rahkus figured that made sense to a point.

“But people do use ‘em,” he pointed out, only to get an irritated ear-cock from Tony. And possibly an amused chitter from Ande. “S’ain’t it best t’pr’tect ‘em?”

The talking pony looked like he was going to argue or grumble, but then his head popped up and his ears came forward. He stopped and peered up at Rahkus.

“Can I see your feet?” he asked, a sort of cautious curiosity to his tone. “The underside, I mean. I’ve never seen a human’s feet who hadn’t worn shoes all their life.”

Rahkus stopped, shrugged, and pulled up one of his feet so the little pony could look at the sole. Tony came close and sniffed at it heartily. Though Rahkus’ skin was exceptionally fair most places with patches of sunburn-splattered tan, the soles of his feet were almost black on the toes, forepad, and heel from the ever-present pitch and tar of the decks of ships he’d lived on most all his life. It could not be washed out — the dwarves that first night had tried. The rest of the underside of his feet were dark grayish brown from worked-in dirt, splinters, and calluses. The edges of his heel, toes, and forepad were all ringed in horny, thick sole and cracked in some places.

“It looks just like a natural frog, or one of the lycan’s paw pads,” Tony noted approvingly.

“Ah always heard frogs got sucker feet,” Rahkus mused as he put his foot down. 

“No, I mean our frog,” Tony said. “It’s part of a horse’s hoof.”

The little pony turned around to face his backside at Rahkus and lifted one of his back feet like he was going to kick. Instead, he slowly extended it so Rahkus could see the underside.

“See the V-shape?” Tony asked over his shoulder. Rahkus nodded. Though he had ridden poorly-secured ponies for almost as long as he had been alive and on land, he’d never bothered much with their hooves, other than knowing to stay out of kicking range. So the very obvious V-shape that looked carved into the bottom of Tony’s hoof was new to him.

“That’s the frog. It’s the living part of the foot that is supposed to contact the ground with each step. The pressure helps pump blood back up through the legs. But,” Tony said, putting his hoof down in a little stamp that made his voluminous tail sway. “If there’s chunks of metal nailed onto the edges of the hoof, they can’t do that. There’s the wrong support and the pumping action doesn’t happen. It’s no wonder horses here die so young as they do—”

Ande interrupted with a series of contrarian chitters in what even Rahkus could identify as an irritated tone.

“Well, yeah,” Tony answered with a dismissive air as he started walking again, ears out to the side. 

“ _ Here _ they live longer. And maybe 32 years is the natural lifespan for a horse with no dragon’s stone. But I meant ‘here’ as in this damned hell nation that trades in equine flesh and blood everyday. Not all horses make it to 32 here. Most don’t.”

Ande responded back, now with his ears to the side, though he was swishing his flagged tail in what Rahkus thought was annoyance. Tony blew through his nose and shook his whole head and neck like a workhorse shooing flies.

“You can’t prove that! It’s not like they keep a census of us or anything. There’s not even a whole nation accounting of us as livestock that they think we—”

Now it was Ande’s turn to make that godawful hoarse roaring sound like what Tony had made earlier when arguing with the gem avatars. His version had a good deal more squeal to it, though. Rahkus was startled by the sudden shock of the noise coming out of the tiny pegasus who had thus far been relatively quiet and passive.

“I might as well be!” Tony shouted back.

Ande bickered at Tony and the larger tiny pony shifted into the bird-like avatar language. Rahkus followed along beside the arguing pair once they started walking and arguing again. He still occasionally stooped to pick up gems shed by the avatars that were further down the trail. And he listened. 

Though he could understand none of the specifics of the content, Rahkus thought he was at least understanding some of the tone. It seemed like, whatever they were saying, it was an old argument they were both passionate about. He had seen this sort of thing between crewmen or mates who spoke other languages onboard his ships in the past. Especially once he joined up as a pirate, there were a lot of languages he didn’t know happening around him. Frequently arguing.

When it seemed like the two were going to come to blows — or, in this case, bites — Rahkus cleared his throat.

“Ain’t’chee s’posed t’be lookin’ fer mares wot’er in want ovva breedin’? An’ teachin’ me t’understand yer tongue?”

This had the desired effect. Tony’s ears came forward and then one tracked sideways towards Rahkus. Then he lowered his head. He had the look of a tired cart horse.

“Yes,” he said, though he sounded annoyed. Like what an honest sailor sounds like when caught out by the cabin boy or a new crewman.

Ande twittered something that sounded helpful.

“No, they haven’t been long enough past foaling to be cycling yet,” Tony answered the suggestion. Ande offered another suggestion, in a more irritated tone this time. Tony heaved a belabored sigh. 

“Yeah, I suppose we should.”

Whatever the suggestion was, it was clear the little pony didn’t like the idea.

“Let’s go see Q and his… ‘harem.’”


	4. Making the Magic Happen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Though Tony, the talking pony, has no apparent love for his job as a teaser stallion for the ranch, he puts on a good show and Rahkus, the ex-pirate, gets to see him in action. He also gets to see yet another monster and observe some action of a different sort, but it's apparently impolite to watch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: Swearing, description of horse mating (minimally graphic)
> 
> Estimated reading time: 18 mins

Tony led the way to their destination with his head hung low and his hooves dragging. He took them around several pastures full of a variety of horses. And not-horses. Not only did Rahkus see the herd of unicorns Eric had introduced him to — including identifying the demon cat’s demon mount — but he saw many other beasts that were the thing of nightmares. Several looked more like gargantuan crabs or spiders rather than horses. Others looked like other animals, or combinations of horses and other animals. 

Of course, there were plain, normal horses. These were more abundant and more varied than anything Rahkus had ever seen in his pony-thieving days. Despite the Mongol avatar having rounded up a massive herd of giant work horses, there were still many around. Some looked to be old too as far as Rahkus could tell of their graying muzzles and prominent hips.

Despite looking around, Rahkus easily kept pace with Ande and Tony as they walked slowly towards a copse of short trees. As they got closer, however, Rahkus realized it was an orchard. He didn’t know what of — he was no hand at knowing trees — but assumed they were fruit trees of some sort.

The closer they got, the more obvious it was the orchard was not very deep. It was a sort of hedge rather than an orchard and it ringed an open space. Rahkus could occasionally make out possibly horse-like shapes beyond the trees.

Tony made an odd barking sound, like a cross between what a cough and clearing his throat might sound like if he were a man.

“You might have noticed that the avatars have a bit of an…  _ arrogance _ … to them,” Tony said, pointedly not looking at Ande. The pegasus didn’t seem much put off, however.

“Aye?” Rahkus nodded.

“Well, Q embodies that more than most avatars,” Tony went on haltingly. “So don’t talk to him. Unless he speaks to you. Which he probably won’t, since you’re just a human and they aren’t worth his attention.”

Rahkus scowled. Sure, Eric had said avatars were to be treated respectful, but the idea of a horse — even a fancy, talking one — not seeing him as fit to talk to was galling. He’s taken that sort of treatment from his own kind for too long to accept taking it from a damned horse.

“Probably best not to even look at him. You’ll probably just stare, and that will make him angry,” the talking pony went on. “And don’t touch any of his mares. Or his foals. If they come up to you and try to interact, don’t interfere, but don’t engage them yourself. And don’t—”

“Ye sound like ‘e’s t’damned king a England!” Rahkus interjected with scandalized amusement. “‘Ah ain’t dippin’ no bow’r t’like t’a horse wit’ airs.”

Tony cocked one ear to the side before blowing noisily. He stopped within sight of the entrance to the orchard-ringed meadows and looked pointedly up at Rahkus.

“I don’t understand most of what you just said, but you’d best keep in mind;  _ Q is NOT a horse _ ,” the pony pronounced sharply. 

“Well ‘e ain’t a god, t’be sure,” Rahkus argued. 

“He  _ thinks _ he is the embodiment of one in this world,” countered Tony. “He expects to be treated like one.”

Rahkus snorted. 

“Wot’s ‘e t’ink ‘e’s t’god of t’en?”

“He calls himself the ‘Father of Unicorns,’” said Tony with his ears back, but not pinned. It came off as a look of irritation or dismissive annoyance. Ande also showed his own version with some tail flicking and ears akimbo.

“Maybe he is, for all I know,” Tony added as one of his ears tracked forward. “That is all he does. Eat, sleep, be a pompous ass, and father unicorns.” 

The talking pony paused to blow air officiously through his nostrils.

“Regardless, I have to deal with him EVERY DAY,” he pressed on menacingly. “If  _ you _ disrespect him,  _ I _ will have to deal with his insufferable haughty, self-important shit for WEEKS, if not longer. And I can’t stand him on the best of days. So either you at least be silent and pretend to be respectful and do as I say if or when I say it, or I’ll leave you out here if you can’t behave.”

Rahkus seethed. Behave? Taking orders from a pony the size of a dog was bad enough, but needing to… what? Follow orders? And be respectful to a horse, even if it was a puca or some such, that thought itself a god? And if he refused, he’d be left outside like a cur to wait for his master to come fetch him?

All of it rankled. 

Rahkus glared down at the damned mouthy animal. Tony glared right back up at him with his ears back and his eyes rolled so the whites were showing. Rahkus had more than half a mind to tell the nag to… well, Rahkus wasn’t quite sure where you told a talking pony to stuff things. But there were probably pretty similar places as on proper people.

“Well? You gonna come and behave and do as you’re told?” demanded Tony, raising his head farther up with ears still pinned. His lower lip flagged, showing his lower teeth. “Or are you waiting here?”

Rahkus curled a lip in annoyance showing his own teeth. He supposed he should do as the cat demon told him and learn from Tony and see all of the ranch. This little talking oddity was his ranking officer… for the moment anyway. He also supposed he could at the very least agree to ‘behave,’ see what was what, and if Tony wanted him out… what could a pony that size really do if he didn’t want to shift?

“Ah’ll come,” he eventually huffed. 

“And you’ll be quiet? And do as you’re told?” Tony pressed. Rahkus ground his teeth.

“Aye,” he bit out.

Tony flared his nostrils. Like he was trying to tell if Rahkus was telling the truth by smell.

“Good! Let’s go.”

Tony trotted smartly toward the break in the orchard. Ande was already waiting at the mouth of the meadow. The pair of them slipped under the lowest plank of the fence, leaving Rahkus to fend for himself. While he was small, he wasn’t as conveniently small as they were, making going under difficult. Since he couldn’t find the latch to open the gate, he eventually climbed over and jumped down. Tony gave him a harsh glare before trotting off again, this time along the fence. Ande flitted from fence post to fence post in a cross between trotting jumps and fluttering just under the overhanging boughs of the orchard trees.

The talking pony kept his head, ears, and tail up as he trotted at a steady, energetic pace for his short legs. It stressed Rahkus’ walking abilities. He couldn’t walk fast enough to keep up, but he also couldn’t comfortably jog slow enough to not constantly bump into the tan-and-black rump of the obnoxious and very alert Tony. And moving through thick, still-damp grass that reached mid-shin was not something he was used to. Nor was the hidden pats of manure. 

Irritated, Rahkus opted for alternating jogging and walking and did his best to ignore the occasional squishing into surprise shit piles.

The meadow inside the orchard was massive. While Rahkus could see the width of it, he could not see the length of it for a slight hill and swayle involved. Plus there seemed to be other trees inside the meadow as well as ringing its edges. This made the whole thing difficult to estimate. Rahkus had a sinking suspicion that they were going to be traveling around the entire edge of the probably massive place.

Ande’s antics only added to Rahkus’ concern.

The tiny pegasus would occasionally leap, not for the next fence post, but out into the meadow and take to the sky. He would hover even with the tree tops, obviously scouting from the sky. After a short scan of the area, he would descend back down to his hopping run along the fence to — as Tony explained — report on the whereabouts of the mares.

They turned out to be unicorn mares. All of them. And the herd was sizable.

When they first got within sight of the mares, Tony slowed his speed to one Rahkus could more easily walk to. He did not slacken his attention, however. His ears, eyes, and tail were as up as ever. At one point he stopped, raised his head as far as he could, and blasted a loud, shrill, stuttering trumpet. He stood standing at attention with tiny ears piqued for the responding whinnies from the meadow. His ears swiveled and twitched as he listened to the responses.

“Well, fuck,” Tony swore casually as he made his way to the fence and ducked under it and out into the orchard.

“Get over here!” he commanded. Rahkus didn’t know why the pony had fled, but the sight of a trio of unicorns running in their direction meant he didn’t ask questions. Ande alighted in one of the lower branches of a nearby tree.

When the unicorn mares finally arrived at the fence, the one in the lead had its ears pinned back. The other two hung back, but their ears were up and they looked curious. All three wore woven leather halters.

The lead mare only stopped at the fence when her chest hit it. She lunged over the fence with eyes rolled to show the whites and ears plastered to the neck. She made as if to bite, but there was nothing and no one within reach. The mare continued to make a show of it, pawing aggressively at the ground and flashing her tail at the other two mares, offering a kick when they approached the fence. The other two kept out of the way, but stayed just out of range yet still close to the fence. The leader wheeled and kicked at the fence.

“Go on with you, then!” Tony shouted at the ornery mare. “No one asked you to be here!” 

She huffed and pawed at the fence and offered shrill warning whinnies for a few more moments before eventually being run off by the other mares, who were distinctly interested in Tony. Once the aggressive mare was gone, Tony trotted — no, pranced — up to the fence until he was just within range of the interested pair. They stretched their necks and muzzles out to him as though they wanted to get a good smell of him and he responded in kind.

Rahkus was amused to see the little talking pony was showing off. He was certainly striking a pose; standing quite straight and as tall as he could, with his tail up and his neck arched far more than Rahkus would have thought possible. If he had been a proper horse and not just a little dog-size runt, he likely would have been quite an impressive sight. But, since he was just a tiny little thing and Rahkus knew him to be rather irritating, Tony just looked a bit silly reaching out to touch noses with the curious mares.

Tony nibbled at the faces of the unicorn mares, and they let him, wiggling their top lips in answer. During all of it he was making a series of deep groaning huffs interspersed with neighs and knickers. The deeper sounds were not unlike the hoarse roar he had made when arguing with the avatars, but without the aggression. They also sounded like noises made by something far larger than the little talking pony. 

After a moment, Tony scooted under the lowest board on the fence so he was back in the meadow with the mares who seemed to be quite taken with him. They smelled and nuzzled him, even though he was much smaller than they were. He could easily walk under their bellies without having to duck too much. That didn’t seem to hinder their demonstrative interest.

For his part, Tony remained very alert. His head was up as far as it would go as were his tail and ears. But his eyes were on the ground. He was watching the mares’ hooves.

One of the mares turned her backside towards the little pony. Tony pulled his head away, wary of a kick. But instead the mare raised her tail — which was plaited and wrapped into a flag much like Ande’s was — squatted, and pissed in front of him. Rahkus watched as something red or pink then seemed to poke out of the mare from where she had pissed. Then it disappeared back up inside her. But with her tail up and wrapped like it was, he could see when it poked out again.

Rahkus puzzled over this repeating… whatever it was. He’d never seen anything like it before. But he’d also never paid much attention to the back end of horses or ponies, so why would he? It was obviously important, though, because Tony seemed to be checking it out too. He even raised his top lip up and stretched his neck out like he was trying to reach the mare’s rear and whatever the thing was that kept coming out of her.

It all started over again when the other mare squatted and pissed too. She also had a wrapped tail. After the same song and dance and odd peaking thing, Tony turned over his shoulder to call to Ande.

“Have you seen Q yet?” 

Ande responded with a snort that Rahkus was starting to think was “no.”

“Can you look then? I need to get these two to him pretty quick. They’re deep in heat.”

While the unicorn mares fussed over Tony, Ande took to the sky. He flew higher than he had before and zoomed around. After a moment, he returned to the fence and twittered out what were apparently coordinates. Tony nodded and struck out in a direction with the mares in interested tow, their flag-tails raised and their noses down tracking him.

Ande jumped down from the fence to join the procession, so Rahkus hopped the fence and followed along too. One of the mares and Tony turned to look at them. The mare turned back to the object of her attention, but Tony looked odd. Rahkus couldn’t read all his expressions proper, but he got the idea the pony was unhappy about something. He said nothing though, and eventually turned back to his destination.

Their destination was one of the oddest things Rahkus had ever seen. And he had seen more than his fair share of odd things here.

Roughly in the middle of the meadow was a copse of trees and a pond. Under one of the largest trees was a great gray-green behemoth that was vaguely horse-shaped. It was enormous. Rahkus knew that even in its reclined position it was taller than even the giant sap-leaking gemstone avatar from earlier this morning had been while standing. When standing, it was likely taller than most buildings. 

Also… it was on fire.

Where the green horse-demon’s mane and forelock might have been was a column of fire. It looked as though the topline of its head and neck were alight, and the line of fire continued down its back. The flames also swathed its throat like a beard or mane, extending all the way down to its chest. But the fire did not seem to bother the creature, nor did it seem to burn anything it touched, including the grass the beast was resting in. Though Rahkus should be able to hear and feel the heat from a fire of such a size, he heard and felt nothing. It was as though the fire was nothing more than visual. An illusion perhaps?

The monster had what looked like a tree branch sprouting from its forehead. On either side of the thing’s muzzle sprouted a long single whisker. These things were thin deft appendages for a creature so large, but they might as well have been serpents sprouting from the demon thing’s face. They moved as though possessed, twitching and coiling languidly as if on their own.

The giant observed them through cool, partially closed eyes as they approached. 

“Don’t stare!” Tony chided in a hoarse whispered aside. Rahkus dropped his gaze to the talking pony. But sounds from the green flaming beast’s direction rapidly drew Rahkus’ attention back to it.

The thing seemed to be speaking, but the sound was much deeper and statelier than any of the other avatars. It wasn’t birdlike chirps said in a horse’s voice, though Rahkus doubted anything so massive could make noises like that. Even though he didn’t know what it had said, he could feel the thing’s airs and high opinion of itself in its tone and cadence.

“Yes, Q,” Tony answered something, keeping his head lowered.

The flaming avatar went about shifting itself, but it did so slowly. There was a lazy, disinterested feel to Q’s movements, and he took his time about rising. He pushed himself up on his front hooves first and then righted his back end afterwards. Most curious to Rahkus was that the thing never seemed to get taller despite rising to standing. It took him some time to realize the avatar was shrinking as it stood.

Q was still massive once on his feet. Despite Tony’s command not to stare, Rahkus couldn’t help but gape up at the thing as it stretched and yawned. Rahkus saw that the green monster didn’t have proper horse teeth, but fangs. Nor did it have a proper horse tail, but a serpent’s tail that was tipped in flame. Q seemed mildly amused by Rahkus’ attention and swiveled both ears in his direction. He thrummed something.

“He is a new human Eric has found and taken in,” Tony answered the apparent question. 

Rahkus was going to object to being described as being taken in — he was not some foundling needing taken in — but the flaming behemoth rumbled something more. This time Tony did not respond to give Rahkus any idea of what was said, but just nodded with his head still lowered. 

Q began to take measured, precise steps towards them. As he approached, with his head high and flaming mane throwing an aura around him, he continued to shrink. For their part, Tony and Ande backed off, taking backward steps and keeping their heads lowered. Rahkus figured it was probably best to follow suit and backed away from the advancing avatar.

When the unicorn mares tried to follow Tony in his respectful retreat, Q’s whiskers darted forward and caught them both by the halters. The whiskers worked like intelligent eels, wrapping one each around the noseband of a mare. By the time he had reeled them in towards him, Q was much the same size as they were, that is, the size of a proper horse. Perhaps slightly larger, but only a little.

The now horse-sized Q trilled something and Tony again nodded low. Then, with no more attention to any of them and no fanfare, Q mounted one of the unicorn mares and proceeded to breed her.

Rahkus had never seen horses mating before, but it was clear enough that was what was going on. He’s seen enough street curs mating bitches to have a general sense of how four-legged creatures got it done. Plus it had been hard to miss the nearly meter-long fleshy shaft drop down from between the flaming beast’s hind legs and find its place beneath the mare’s well-prepared raised tail. 

“Don’t watch!” Tony hissed beside Rahkus and snatched at the leg of his breeches with his teeth. “What’s wrong with you?!” 

Rahkus turned his attention momentarily down to Tony, who had turned around and was walking away from Q and the harem mares he was servicing. He glanced back at the scene. 

It did not seem to him that Q was the least bit bothered by being observed. He was occupied with his task and applying himself with apparent efficiency. He used one whisker around the mounted mare’s halter almost as reins to control her head while the other whisker held onto the other mare. The mounted mare didn’t seem bothered by any of the goings on either. Not even the fire of Q’s neck and chest, now draped over her back, seemed to vex her. She merely stood and took the flaming green monster’s weight and conjugal efforts, occasionally extending and wiggling her top lip. 

Still, Rahkus didn’t need to watch if it angered his instructor and guide. Plus, he figured Tony would be more annoying if he did, so he turned around to walk alongside the talking pony rather than walking backwards. Ande twittered something.

“I don— That’s not the point!” Tony said, apparently in flustered answer to whatever Ande had said. “S’just not right. Human standing there gawking at…  _ that _ .”

The pair fell to arguing again with Tony again speaking in the avatar language so Rahkus didn’t know what they were on about. So he just followed along. Again.


	5. More Unfortunate Souls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony, the talking pony, might be good at his job as a teaser stallion, but that doesn't mean he likes it. He tries to explain to Rahkus, the ex-pirate from Earth's 17th Century, why bringing more horses, ponies, and unicorns into the world of Ownteli is a bad thing; they will only live to experience injustice and pain. For Rahkus this is all new and alien. The closest thing he had ever heard back in his world to this was the laments of slaves, but that's entirely different. Those were people. These are just animals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: dialect, minor reference to animal abuse, animal rights topics, discussion of animal exploitation, brief description of castration, topical discussion of horse breeding, reference to eating horse, potential speciesism, references to slavery, use of historical race descriptions
> 
> Estimated reading time: 16 mins

For the next hour or so, Tony, Ande, and Rahkus wandered the outskirts of the unicorn meadow. During that time, Rahkus was pretty sure he had identified the sounds for “no,” “run,” and some sort of playful insult that could also be an endearment that meant something like “you cheeky bastard” in the avatar language. Sounds that meant “mare,” “unicorn,” “grass,” and “shit” were a bit shaky, but he was getting there. All this was from Tony’s spotty memory that he was supposed to translate.

While they walked, Tony kept to his job as teaser stallion. He periodically paused to trumpet to the nearby unicorn mares. Sometimes their trio would be looked over and then ignored. Sometimes an aggressive mare would squeal back in response, which Rahkus quickly learned meant they had to flee over the fence since some of the squealing mares took their continued presence as a threat that needed to be driven off. But Tony also identified amorous mares who were very interested in making his acquaintance. These were taken to the central pond area and left with the flaming green avatar Q, who resized himself to fit each mare and bred them.

Each time they struck out again, Tony hung his head just a bit lower and his pace was just a little bit slower. His call to the next group of mares was just a bit more lackluster.

After they had delivered the eighth and — according to the talking pony — final unicorn mare to Q for the day, Tony announced they had to venture into the stands of trees at the back of the meadow to look for any heavily pregnant mares.

Ande took to the sky to scout out the area.

“Why we lookin’ fer pregnant ones now?” Rahkus asked.

“Gotta take them to the foaling barn,” Tony sighed.

“Wot fer?”

“What do you think?” the pony snapped with lethargic annoyance. “They have their foals in the foaling barn, genius.”

Rahkus scowled at the slight. “‘Ow wuz Ah supposed t’know ye have whole barns jist for one t’ing?”

“I dunno? Maybe because I called it the ‘foaling barn?’ Never figured I’d have to explain speech to a human.”

“Ye don’t!” Rahkus shot back, not really knowing how to answer cheek from a damned talking beast. 

“Could’ve fooled me!”

Rahkus opened his mouth to retort with an insult, but then closed it. He had nothing that would fit insulting an animal, even a talking one. 

If he’d been back in his proper place in some port town being annoyed like this by an animal Tony’s size, he’d kick it or throw stones at it until it went away. Unless it was mad. Could ponies go mad? If it was a mad dog or something, he’d get away from it because there was no sense in meddling with a mad dog. Nothing good came of that. 

But if it were a man saying what Tony’d said, he’d either get away since he was lousy at winning fights on his own and come back later with a pack of his mates to rough him up. Or, if it was like when he’d been on the damned English ship and he either had no mates or couldn’t get away with roughing someone up, he’d just try to get at them other ways. Piss in their soup or grog. Make holes in their stockings. Loosen the knots on their hammock. Or, if all else failed, get away from them and stay away from them. That was hard to do on a ship. And it would likely be hard here since Eric had told him to learn from the damned thing.

Plus, too much time had gone by for him to really say anything smart. You had to be fast with your cheeky retorts or they didn’t mean much. But, Rahkus did figure he could try a different tack.

He huffed and kept scowling.

“Ah dunno ‘ow ye lot do t’ings ‘ere. Only been ‘ere t’ree days an’ Ah weren’t no hand on horses back where Ah’m from. Ah figured mares’d have t’ey foals out ‘ere. Figured t’at’s ‘ow it were done.”

Rahkus’ new strategy had the desired effect. Tony sighed, still with that weary tone, but this time he didn’t bite back with an insult. It even had a better than desired effect; the talking pony apologized. 

“Yeah, I know. Sorry fer… going after you like that,” he said with another belabored sigh.

That was not something Rahkus was used to. Even his mates rarely tried to make amends if they’d slighted him in the past, let alone a more senior crewman, as odd as it was to think of the pony as a senior crewman. Crewpony?

“I just… hate this part of my job. Q and his ‘harem,’ I mean,” Tony explained as he plodded, head hung low, towards the trees towards the back of the meadow. He sighed again and raised his head a bit. His voice changed to what it had been when he was translating the avatar’s language.

“Most folks do let their mares foal in the pasture here in Ownteli. It’s easier. But here we’ve got a full-on set of breeding and foaling barns. The mares go to the foaling barn when they are close to giving birth, so they can have a clean, dry, safe place to deliver. Plus we’ve got a whole crew of folks who can take care of the foals and the mares afterwards.”

Tony’s head dropped and so did his tone. 

“And when it comes to unicorn mares, it helps to have them in the foaling barn so they can be supervised. The foals survive better that way.”

“Wot’che mean?” Rahkus asked, sensing in Tony’s tone that this was an important detail.

With head down, eyes partially closed, and chin stiff, the talking pony breathed a belabored sigh.

“Unicorns don’t breed true everytime. Not even when sired by the high’n mighty ‘Father of Unicorns.’ Only about one in every four or five pregnancies produce a unicorn foal. And unicorn mares reject their non-unicorn foals. Sometimes they won’t even let them suckle the first milk, and a foal who doesn’t get its first milk has a poor prospect for life. They get sick easier and die. So if the unicorn mares deliver in the foaling barn, their non-unicorn foals can be protected and fed first milk so they survive.”

Rahkus supposed that made sense. He didn’t know much about animals, but he’d heard a bitch would abandon a runt pup, and he knew the ship cats would reject a kitten if there was something wrong with it. Plus people did the same with their own babes, like drowning the misformed ones, so why not unicorns?

“Makes sense,” he said in passing as they walked. Tony “mmm-hmmmed” noncommittally. 

The heavily pregnant mares — and they were very noticeable, their bellies entirely round when viewed from the front, or hanging low when viewed from the side — were congregated in the copse of tall trees towards the back of the meadow. As with the mares ready to be bred, there were eight who were close to delivery. They were not the most interested in leaving the covered area, however. 

After some time and cajoling on all sides, Tony told Rahkus to go to a large tree on the outside of the copse where a number of lead ropes were tied specifically for the purpose. He talked Rahkus through the process of chain-tying the leads to four of the mares together, and then leading two of them, having four on either side of him. Though he wasn’t particularly comfortable suddenly having eight horses in hand, having had next to no experience leading a horse at all, Rahkus didn’t find it too difficult once they started moving.

Ande flew off to precede them to the foaling barn to alert the foaling team of the coming mares.

“And off we go… Tomorrow there will be eight new foals in the world,” Tony mumbled morosely as he started leading the way out of the unicorn meadow.

The pony said this with such a heavy tone, Rahkus expected some additional information would follow. When it didn’t, he cocked an eyebrow.

“Ye say it like it’s a bad t’ing.”

Tony sighed heavily as he led the way through the meadow, this time straight through rather than around the edges. This made it faster. And the shit piles more common.

“It is… sort of. With only every fourth of fifth foal being a unicorn, that means there might be two new unicorn foals and six non-unicorn foals in the world tomorrow, though it could be that all eight come out as just normal horses or ponies.”

“Aye…?” Rahkus prompted when the talking pony said nothing more.

Tony’s head came up and his ears went back momentarily as some fire came back into his deflated form. He started walking sideways, so while he was still moving mostly forward, he was presenting his broadside back to Rahkus and the mares so he could better see them.

“Weren’t you listening?” he snapped. His ears did a choreography of irritated processing as he glared back at Rahkus. He snorted, then shook his head.

“The mundane foals — the ones who aren’t unicorns. The ones who are just normal horses or ponies — they are  _ unwanted _ . Their own  _ mothers _ reject them. They need to be born in the foaling barn where someone else — usually a two-legger — has to protect them  _ from their own mothers. _ And Q certainly doesn’t want them. He even sees the unicorn mares as beneath him, so he’s almost disgusted by his mundane foals.”

Tony began an almost prancing dance in his growing anger as he walked sideways.

“So there will be anywhere from six to eight unwanted, abandoned foals tomorrow. AND! And since Q is an avatar, everytime he covers a mare, he breeds her. He might not breed true in terms of unicorns, but he sure does in terms of getting them with foal. There are 72 mares in his harem. That means that he fathers 72 foals annually. But only about 16 of those foals will be unicorns. So he produces about 56 unwanted foals that are just normal horses and ponies, EVERY YEAR.”

Rahkus still didn’t understand. What was the problem with producing 56 horses and ponies? Sure, he could see how producing unicorns would be better — they were probably more valuable, right? — but this was a horse breeding ranch. Why was producing a lot of anything that could be sold a bad thing?

Still, he knew he didn’t understand because Tony obviously intended him to understand something that he could just not see. The little pony stared back at him, expectantly. But still there was nothing. Rahkus eventually shrugged. Tony let out a defeated blow through his nose and sank back into his earlier deflated posture.

“Of course you don’t get it. Why would you?” Tony huffed as he turned back to plod along forward as he had been before. 

“Fine. Let me do the math for you,” he said, though his tone dripped with the unspoken “you idiot” at the end. 

“Only the unicorn foals are valued here in this damned world. The mundane foals are treated like all other run-of-the-mill horses or ponies. Meaning they are treated as  _ livestock _ . Sold away to be used. Broken and harnessed and worked and maybe beaten and starved and eventually allowed to die from a life of hardship and labor.”

The pony almost growled as he went on. He swished his tail frequently and his ears were back, though not pinned, as he hung his head low.

“The colts will likely be gelded — and not like they do it here, mind you! Here the two-leggers have some of their blood alchemics that can geld by tricking the body into re-absorbing a horse’s balls. At least that’s painless, even if it robs them of the body they were supposed to have naturally. But most places do it with a  _ knife! _ Just tie them up so they can’t escape or move, grab their balls, and cut!”

Rahkus winced at the thought. He’d been grabbed and held by men far larger and stronger than he was enough in his life. With the image Tony had just put in his head, Rahkus was now glad none of those who’d grabbed him had been interested in separating him from his bollocks. Or anything else for that matter.

“And the fillies will likely have a double life of labor,” Tony went on with a weary, simmering tone and a punctuating tail flick. “Both under the saddle or harness, but also through serial breeding and foaling to bring more pathetic lives into the world to be broken and used. All to feed the greed of the two-legged powers of this damned place. Sometimes  _ literally! _ ”

At this Tony threw his head up and his ears did a manic dance of pointing forward and pinning back and all points in between. He started walking sideways again, picking up his feet and prancing in agitation, but this time his eyes were rolled so the whites showed and he glared out through his forelock.

“Eric sells the mundane foals of the unicorns  _ for meat! _ ” he hissed in shrill rage. “When they’re but a few days old! He sells them to those who fatten them for slaughter. It’s disgusting!” 

Tony turned back to walk forward properly again, but his pace and his tone were still alight with his horrified indignation.

“That is the fate of the mundane foals. But even the unicorn foals don’t have much better to look forward to. If any can be said to have a good life, it’s only the unicorn fillies that can claim that in this blood-soaked, damned world since they can maybe produce more unicorns when they are grown. So most of them only have a life of a broodmare to look forward to. To be bred and foal over and over again until they are spent and die. Forced to be whores to this place’s economy.”

The little pony’s tone went darker. 

“The unicorn colts… their future is anyone’s guess. They might become someone’s prized unicorn stud or competition stallion since unicorns excel at grace and presence in whatever they do. But, since you only need one stallion per about 20-30 mares, even the unicorn colts are mostly unvalued. Most are sold after they’re weaned only to have their horns cut off. Literally cut from their heads! And the horn is part of the skull. It’s BONE! Then, once they’ve been mutilated, they meet the same fates of their mundane siblings, since at that point they’re indistinguishable. Which can mean MORE mutilation and then…”

Rahkus listened as the talking pony’s tirade continued. He talked about this affront and that injustice faced by the animals of this world. Gelding and branding and slaughter for meat and certain types of harnesses and bits were particular evils for him, and he spoke of them in the most horrific terms, damning them all as though he was man of the cloth decrying the sins of the world.

Though he listened with interest as he followed Tony and led the mares through the meadow, Rahkus had some difficulty understanding why Tony was so worked up over it all. Horses and ponies were  _ animals _ , after all. Livestock in particular. Livestock were to be used, including being used for food. Rahkus supposed it was unfortunate for them, and he could rouse some sympathy for Tony since the little fellow looked like just a dumb beast, but that was  _ their purpose _ . What else were you supposed to do with animals?

Still, the little pony’s argument reminded Rahkus of something like what he’d heard from slaves from in his own world. It did sound similar.

There were sometimes black African slaves on the English ships. As an Irish cabin boy on those ships, he’d often been no higher rank than the slaves — and sometimes lower as far as he could tell. Still, he’d mostly been friendly with them since they were in no power to beat or otherwise abuse him like the sailors could.

Most of the slaves Rahkus had ever encountered couldn’t speak what he could understand, but sometimes there were some who’d been slaves in England or serving English masters onboard. Those could sometimes speak intelligibly to Rahkus’ ear. Sometimes they would talk with him when they were all down below. A few even tried to make common cause with him against the English bastards, though nothing ever came of that. You didn’t oppose the source of your daily bread and water when you were on a ship in the middle of the ocean and had no power or mates to back you. 

As they left the meadow and Tony started rambling about the indignities of horseshoes again, Rahkus remembered the slave owned by the quartermaster on the second British ship he’d been taken to. That one had religion quite powerfully and had a good bit of English about him. And he talked much like Tony was when the Englishmen weren’t around. He’d complained of similar pains and abuses and humiliations against his people. Beatings and branding and the like. 

That had been different than what Tony was talking about, though. The talking pony was talking about animals, and while some of the English said the black Africans were animals too, that was nonsense to anyone with sense in their heads or anyone who met one. Pirate ships were harbors to all, and Rahkus had served alongside plenty of Africans as well as Spaniards, Frenchmen, plenty of other Irishmen and Scots, Moors‘n Turks, and even one who claimed he was a Red Indian from the New World, though no one believed him on account of his Frenchmen’s voice. Englishmen called all of them animals too.

But Tony was talking about _actual_ animals. Maybe the unicorns weren’t exactly animals if what the cat demon said was true, but the normal horses and ponies were. Right?


	6. Bent Ranch Rules and Domestic Disputes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rahkus, the ex-pirate, realizes an inconsistency between what he's heard of the ranch rules and what he's seen in the unicorn meadow; if the avatars have the minds of men, but the unicorns are clever animals, how does an avatar breeding unicorns sit right with the laws of the ranch? He asks Tony, the talking pony with the mind of a man, about the discrepancy and inadvertently opens up a domestic dispute he didn't know was boiling just under the surface between Tony and his tiny avatar lover, Ande. Things get more than a bit awkward as arguments break down into outright violence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: dialect, discussion between characters on the topics of rape and beastiality, cursing/crass language, discussions of eating animals, arguing partners, domestic fight with injury
> 
> Estimated reading time: 10 mins

Rahkus listened to Tony’s tirade for what felt like a long time. He carried on about the injustices visited upon equines of this world, plus a lot of nonsense about how they should all be free to live as nature intended. But Rahkus had experience that taught him not to interrupt a senior sailor when they were on a rant. He supposed that applied to talking ponies too.

They moved slowly, mostly set by Tony’s belabored, disgruntled pace and the eight heavily pregnant unicorn mares’ general unwillingness to be hurried. Rahkus’ arms and especially shoulders ached from hanging on to the daisy-chained lead ropes and battling with the fussing mares’ heads. They were not all of them keen on moving. One in particular kept stopping to bite at her belly and generally seemed irritated by everyone and everything around her that was forcing her to move. 

Rahkus was also sure he had a bruise on his upper thigh where his lunch sack full of gems had been rhythmically banging against his leg with every step.

Tony had gratefully stopped his complaining when the little white and red form of Ande returned from his trip to the ranch town. He touched down ahead of them. The tiny pegasus told Tony something about the mares. Rahkus caught that familiar word among his bird sounds. The talking pony eventually translated.

“He said he told the team at the foaling barn these mares are coming and that they want us to bring them in.”

Ande twittered something else that Tony did not translate. When he responded, he did so in the avatars’ language, so Rahkus was shut out of the conversation. 

The conversation soon turned into an argument again based on tone. They sure seemed to argue a lot for mates, Rahkus wondered. Though he supposed, given the small size of both of them, they might not have many choices when it comes to  _ bunking companions _ , so to speak. There had been that herd of tiny, dog-sized ponies Eric had shown him yesterday, but the cat demon had said they were just animals, so it wouldn’t be right for either of them to take up with animals. 

A curiosity struck Rahkus.

“Ain’t Q an avatar?” Rahkus asked.

This broke the flow of the two tiny ponies’ argument. They both looked around back at Rahkus with ears cocked in his direction.

“What?” Tony asked.

Ande answered with the two-part chitter that meant yes.

“Eric tol’me avatars’s people. Jist horse-lookin’ people. Z’at right?”

<Yes,> Ande answered again.

“‘E also said t’at unicorns got t’minds a young children.”

“That’s a demeaning and exclusionary description,” Tony snorted, but even Rahkus could tell from his short time knowing the pony that it didn’t have the same fire to it that most of his argumentative retorts usually had. Even despite his curious look back at Rahkus, his head was still hung low, like he was weary even though they were hardly a couple hours into their day.

Rahkus didn’t know what to make of the pony’s demeanor, so he just pressed on with his curiosity.

“But t’ey ain’t t’same’s my point, aye? Q’n t’unicorns. T’ey ain’t got t’same minds?” 

Tony turned back to face front as he walked, but his ears’ dancing suggested he was thinking. Ande chirped at him in what sounded like a questioning tone and he responded with something that had the cadence of an explanation.

“Yes, I suppose you can say that, though it suggests a limited imagination of what a mind is,” Tony eventually answered.

Rahkus didn’t know what to make of that either, but he was decently sure the pony had insulted him again. Still, he wanted to know something more than he was concerned about being slighted by a stuck-up, high-minded chattering pony.

“Eric said summat aboot… S’long as all bodies be a like age’n ‘mental faculties’ Ah t’ink ‘e said, havin’ relations ain’t against’t’law here. ‘Mental faculties’ is like ‘aving t’same minds, aye? S’if Q’s got t’mind ovva man, but t’mares got t’minds of children, how’s t’at sit wit’ t’law ‘ere? Why ain’t ‘e been pitched overboard, so t’speak?”

Tony cocked his head and an ear back at Rahkus again. He peered at Rahkus a bit while his ears went through their thinking gyrations again. Then he turned to face forward again and he and Ande consulted one another again. Then they looked back at Rahkus again.

“Are you asking why, if Q and the unicorn mares have such different mental capabilities, is him breeding them not treated as rape? Or something like that?”

That sounded about right. Rahkus figured Q might also be accused of the sin of beastiality too, if the unicorn mares were closer to animals than children. But he also figured Tony might take offense and start ranting again if he asked that, so he just nodded.

The little pony sighed heavily. Ande made what sounded like a snide observation to which Tony did not respond.

“That’s a damned good question,” Tony said as he turned back to plodding down the gravel road towards the distant ranch buildings. “Maybe you’re more enlightened than you seem.”

Rahkus scowled, not sure what to do with the insulting compliment. Especially not from a talking animal.

“The reasoning Eric’s told me when I’ve asked that myself is that Q is the ‘Father of Unicorns.’ He is an avatar of unicorns. And luck? I think? His whole purpose in this world is to breed unicorns. Plus, it’s not like he’s forcing himself on the unicorn mares. He breeds the ones that are in heat, and a mare in heat…”

Ande made some comment that for the first time seemed to lift Tony’s spirits slightly. The tone was... suggestive? The talking pony chuckled and shook himself a bit. The little pegasus took a couple steps ahead in a showy prance with tail and red wings held high and his neck arched. Tony chuckled again and said something in the avatar language. Ande pranced back to close the distance between them and the pair nipped at one another’s faces like Tony and the interested unicorn mares had been earlier.

Rahkus didn’t know completely what had happened, but it took it as some sort of flirting. Or an inside joke or something similar. He eventually cleared his throat as the pair started nuzzling each other.

Tony’s head went up and one of his ears tracked back towards Rahkus.

“Ye were tellin’ me aboot Q’n breedin’ mares wot’er not like ‘im in mind? An' t'rules.”

“Right,” Tony said, clearing his throat and dropping his head again. He sighed. Rahkus wasn’t sure, but he thought he caught an annoyed tail swish from Ande.

“Well, Q gets a pass on some of the rules here, like the one where you’ve got to be of equal mental capacity to be in a sexual relationship with someone,” Tony explained with more than a little disgust in his tone. 

“The fact that, if he literally is the ‘father’ of all unicorns in this world as he claims, then he’s a disgusting, incestuous old fuck breeding his great-great-great-something-granddaughters apparently doesn’t matter either. It goes with the territory of being a god, I guess. Get to stick your dick in anything you want when you’re a god. Or the representation of one on this plane.”

Ande was obviously amused by this description. He said something to Tony that Rahkus thought sounded like a lewd observation. Tony’s ears went forward towards Ande and his head went up again, but ultimately he dropped them and harrumphed. 

“There’s a few of the avatars the ranch’s sex rules get bent for,” the little pony continued. 

“There’s one out on the eastern side of the mountain ridge who stays with the cattle. I’ve never met him, but he’s apparently an avatar of cattle… even though he’s an avatar. So, you know, equine in his features. But he’s effectively the herd bull of all the ranch’s cattle. He’s an avatar, but he’s out breeding cows.  _ Animals! _ ”

Tony’s tone dropped into one of disgust. “All his offspring come out as cattle. And they only live long enough to be fattened then butchered and eaten.”

The talking pony shook himself. Though Rahkus had seen dray horses in port towns do that to get dust or flies off of themselves, it seemed like Tony was shuddering.

“Him and Q both… I can’t understand how they not only don’t care that their _children_ are destined to be meat, but that they willingly keep breeding more of them for the purpose. It’s… I just…” he snorted definitively. 

Ande, who had looked to Rahkus to be bored by this part of the conversation, commented something in his clipped twittering speech.

“Well, that doesn’t make it right!” Tony shot back. Ande responded with an irritated tail swish.

“And then there’s Harley,” Tony eventually continued. “Have you met him yet?”

Rahkus nodded.

“That multicolored shit will mount anyone who’ll let him. Like Heinz, the bay gelding — a mundane horse — who follows him around all the time. Or Rocky, who’s at least an avatar who sometimes is interested. Or any mundane mare in season he finds before I do. Avatars to mundane horses; he’s not picky.”

Ande chittered something matter-of-factly.

Tony rounded on him in a sudden lunge and bit the pegasus squarely on the shoulder where it joined the wing. The tiny pegasus squealed in pain and enraged surprise. Tony came away with a mouthful of feathers when Ande pulled away. In the blink of an eye, he answered the bite with a pair of ruby back hooves planted into what Rahkus would have called the side of Tony’s groin, that spot on the side of the pony’s belly where his hind leg connected. Tony sidestepped away, but it was obvious the kick had landed true because he was ungainly and picked up that leg.

Without another word, Ande charged off down the path in a thunder of tiny hooves. He ran away from them and quickly took to the sky. He winged away into the distance towards the ranch buildings.

Rahkus had stopped the unicorn mares when the scuffle broke out, not really sure what — if anything — he should do. You shouldn’t get involved in the affairs of mates onboard a ship. That was a rule of ship life. Unless a pair’s disagreements impacted the ship running properly. 

This wasn’t a ship, but it was close enough Rahkus assumed. Or at least, he didn’t know enough about this crew to know what better to do. So he busied himself with tending the unicorn mares, some of whom were dancing about, while the one took the opportunity to kick at her engorged belly.

When he’d gotten the mares back in hand, Rahkus turned back to Tony. The little pony had a hangdog look and seemed not to know what to do either. He neither looked at Rahkus nor towards where Ande had gone.

“Can ye walk?” Rahkus eventually asked. They still had places to go and things to do, and maybe asking about that would get things out of the awkward becalmed state they were in now.

Tony tested putting weight on his hind leg and winced. Rahkus had never seen a horse or pony wince, but that was definitely what he’d done. The talking pony tested the leg and took a few steps. He flicked his tail and his ears went off to the side. He was very obviously favoring that leg, but he pressed on.

“Yeah, I suppose. C’Mon. Let’s get on with it.”


	7. What’s Down, Doc?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After his fight with his mate, Tony, the talking pony, limps along with Rahkus, the ex-pirate, to the foaling barns and to see one of the ranch’s doctors. The human’s gawking — or is it voyeurism? Speciesism? — while he’s being doctored gets on Tony’s nerves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTES: WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: non-graphic medical examination, minor voyeurism, speciesism, discussion of sex change and body transformation
> 
> Estimated reading time: 17 mins

The buildings of the ranch office, workshops, main lodge, and breeding and foaling barns had been a long ways off. Though Tony tried to keep his mind on the bucolic scene they painted against the long pastures and agricultural fields they had passed to get to the unicorn meadow, most of his attention was on his right stifle. Ande had nailed him pretty good. It wasn’t broken, but it definitely wasn’t happy and complained with each step. 

Tony knew his already-slow speed was even slower, to the point that it bothered the painted mini two-legger Eric had saddled him with. The human was at least wise enough to keep any thoughts he might have to himself. And, if he was being honest with himself, Tony was grateful Rahkus hadn’t started asking any bothersome questions about the domestic squabbling he’d witnessed.

The mares hadn’t seemed to mind the slow pace. Still, they needed to get to the foaling barns soon. Given how Yara was pawing at herself and biting at her belly whenever she got the chance, she was in the early stages of labor. Her foal would be opening its eyes shortly after lunch today.

Tony huffed and winced as he tried to pick up the pace. His stifle howled in protest, but he tried to walk as normally as he could. An old habit from when he had been “just a pony.” He’d figured out as a foal it was unwise to let the two-leggers know if you were injured. They were predators afterall.

When they finally made it into “town,” Tony led the painted human and the mares around to the least-used side of the foaling barn. The whole building was roughly T-shaped and was attached to the breeding barn. Luckily the foaling side of the barn was closer to the fields so they didn’t have to go through the square where his limp would attract more attention. And maybe questions.

He also  _ really _ didn’t want to deal with the breeding side of things right now. His nose had been so full of mares in peak heat already today that he didn’t want to tempt his body with smelling that sex sweat stink of the stallions at their “work.” And with Ande in the snit he was in, it wasn’t like he really had any prospects for releasing the day’s frustrations, let alone this morning’s.

Tony sighed heavily. At least Jian could fix him up. He always did.

As they approached the open double doors of the foaling barn, a pair of the two-legged members of the foaling team, Farald and Rodina, came out to take the unicorn mares from Rahkus. They conscripted him to help move them into individual open-front box stalls that lined the foaling barns. Tony, meanwhile, sought out Jian.

While the foaling barns served the purpose the name suggested — specifically, a place where mares could go to have their foals and where mother and child could get pre- and post-natal care — they also served other related purposes. There were a number of nursery pens here too, for instance. And the place served as the ranch’s de facto hospital for equines, avatars, and two-leggers alike. Though the breeding barns got most of the attention, since there was always a large commotion wherever stallions thinking with their dicks were involved, the foaling barns were the most important overall.

At least, that was Tony’s take on it. Taking care of those already alive was more important than bringing more unfortunate souls into the world that promised little more than suffering for them. Only sale, mutilation, and being worked to death lay in most equines’ futures here.

Tony found the massive, maned form of Jian puttering around his workbench in the central area in the foaling barn. This served as his and Iset’s alchemistry lab as well as the ranch’s medical center. He, like Q, had a pair of dextrous fleshy muzzle whiskers that he used much like the two-leggers’ hands. Currently, Jian was holding something up close to one of his eyes with one of his prehensile whiskers and applying something to it delicately with a brush using his other whisker.

<Good morning, Jian,> Tony said by way of announcing himself.

Never to be hurried, Jian finished what he was doing before shifting his attention. He set whatever it was he’d been examining plus the brush down before slowly turning his massive head in Tony’s direction.

The painted, one-eyed human appeared suddenly and quizzically from one of the barn’s aisles. Both Tony and Jian turned to look at him as he fairly literally skidded to a halt. As with Q, the damned gawking human seemed stunned at Jian’s appearance. Tony figured the avatar might look unusual to the man. He’d heard that Jian looked to a lot of folks a bit like a massive gray lion crossed with a horse, though Tony had never seen a lion to know one way or another. At least this time Rahkus was quicker about not staring. Instead he awkwardly approached to stand nearby, but it was obvious he didn’t know what he was supposed to be doing or where he was supposed to be.

<Good morning, Anthony,> Jian replied, forever using what he thought was Tony’s formal name and speaking slowly and methodically as ever. <And who is your new carved assistant?>

Tony shifted his weight to rest his right stifle and huffed in an attempt to hide his wince. He peered at Rahkus curiously, not quite sure why Jian had called him “carved.”

“This is Rahkus,” he answered, shifting back into common instead of the avatar language. “He’s going to be a jockey for us. So says Eric. But he’s new to this world and I’m to show him around and introduce him to folks. And Rahkus,” he continued, turning to the human. “This is Jian. As you might guess, he is an avatar. Some folks here call him ‘Setter’ since he serves as one of the physicians here, specifically the one who deals with injuries and sets bones and the like.”

Jian bowed his head by way of an acknowledgement.

“Uh… ‘Ello Tee Ahn,” the human managed with a head bob, though he butchered the pronunciation of Jian’s name. Not that he was particularly good at pronouncing anything, really.

<I take it then, if Rahkus is new to this world, that he cannot understand our tongue?> Jian asked in a polite aside.

<He can’t,> Tony confirmed. <Eric wants me to teach him.>

<Then best you at least remain speaking their non-equine tongue,> Jian said mildly, though for him that meant he was gently chiding his audience. 

<Please convey to him my welcome and communicate in all appropriate tact my interest in learning more about his quite unique engraved tattoos at a later date at his leisure and comfort, of course. From simply what I can see, it seems a great effort was taken with their execution and it may well have been quite dangerous to his life. Similarly, should the ruin of his eye and face be any indication, his was a world or at least a state that was left wanting in terms of care for bodily injury, which makes the physical undertaking of his tattoos all the more intriguing. Though I trust that you have the wisdom to omit my observations regarding his eye and face as such a thing may well set a being into self-consciousness. It would also do well to warn him of Iset’s likely interest in the cause or causes behind his unique stature for a human.>

Tony sat and thought over Jian’s long-winded request before translating it to the human.

“He said he welcomes you to the ranch. And he said he’d like to learn more about how you got your tattoos at some point after you get settled in and feel up to it. He also said I should warn you that the other physician, Iset, will likely have some questions about why you’re so short.”

Rahkus gawked first at him and then briefly at Jian and then back with an orange eyebrow raised.

“T’at’s all ‘e said? En all t’at talk?”

Tony’s ears went back.

“I summarized,” he huffed back, annoyed both at the two-legger’s cheek in front of an avatar and at his blatant questioning of the translation.

Rahkus opened his mouth like he might argue, but closed it again when Jian approached in slow, methodical steps.

<Tell me about your injury, Anthony,> Jian commanded, the tattooed two-legged curiosity now ignored for more pressing equine matters. 

<Would you prefer to remain on the ground or will you mount my examination table?> he asked before Tony could answer and gestured fluidly to one of several elevated platforms that dotted his lab area. They made it so the tall avatar could more easily work on smaller patients.

“I’d, uh… prefer to stay down here, if you don’t mind,” Tony answered, at once self conscious and yet a touch smug at effectively asking an avatar to get on the ground at his level.

Jian nodded with another stately head bow and did the little dance to arrange himself in preparation for lying down. Though he clearly did his best to be graceful, there was only so much someone with a vaguely equine body could go when dropping to the ground from such a height as one could normally boast. That height was greater on many avatars, Jian included. Once he’d flopped onto the ground however, he was still taller than Tony was, so he didn’t feel too bad.

With forelegs neatly tucked under the voluminous floof of his maned chest and his lion-like tail curled around his hindlegs, Jian reached out with his muzzle whiskers to gently examine Tony’s right stifle.

Tony twitched when Jian’s dexterous whiskers gingerly touched his right hindleg. They were such odd things; not like anything equine or even like a human’s hands or a lycan’s paws. The closest thing they felt like was snakes slithering across you. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it wasn’t something everyday either. As far as Tony knew, there were no bones in the whiskers, but they were capable of both the finest control and exerting massive, literally neck-snapping force.

<What happened?> Jian asked.

“A uh… One of the diestrous mares kicked me,” Tony answered, casting a furtive glance at Rahkus. 

The colorful human did seem to have noticed the inaccuracy, since he had one set of his eyebrow fur cocked up, but at least he didn’t say anything. That was a plus. However, he also seemed to have no problem just… watching. He looked very curious about what was going on and had no apparent compunction against watching. Like he had before when Q was mating. Did the man just have no shame? Or maybe he was some weird voyeur?

Or maybe it was just that he had no issues watching animals, Tony thought as his ears went back. Humans often had no issues watching animals in situations where watching another human in the same situation would be seen as rude. Typical.

<Was that painful?> Jian asked as he momentarily took his palpating whiskers away.

“What? Oh… Yes. I mean. No,” Tony stumbled over himself, trying to pay attention. “Well, yes it hurts overall, but what you were doing. That didn’t specifically hurt. More than anything else, anyway.”

Jian continued to gently press and prod Tony’s stifle, and at one point even manually manipulated his entire leg, using just his serpentine whiskers. Tony tried to keep his mind off the fact Rahkus continued to watch. Then, irritated with himself for internalizing the speciesism that silently asserted two-leggers could do as they pleased, he realized he didn’t have to.

“Do you mind giving me a bit of privacy, Rahkus?”

“Aye?” the human asked, seemingly confused. Tony huffed while trying to hold still.

“Most folks expect not to have someone gawking at them when they’re being seen by a physician.”

The idiot human continued to look, well… idiotic.

“Go away,” Tony clarified harshly. Then, slightly more gently, he added, “Please. Go do something else. Something other than staring at me.”

“Oh… uh. Right,” Rahkus stammered. Then he did that physical stammering thing. Where the two-leggers start walking in a direction, then stop and kind of balk because they don’t know what they’re supposed to be doing. 

“Stay around the foaling barns. I’ll find you,” Tony commanded with a sigh.

“Aye,” Rahkus acknowledged. “Nice meetin’ ye, Tee Ann,” the human added awkwardly as he wandered off haltingly down the same corridor of the foal barns he had come from earlier.

When he had gone, Tony lowered and tossed his head. It was almost like finally being rid of a persistent fly. He was glad to be free of the human, even if for a brief while. Humans were just so… tiresome. He was also pleased, both at the outcome and himself. Even if he hurt, and Ande likely wouldn’t talk to him for a while, he had commanded a human to stop treating him like an animal — at least in this one small area of having privacy while receiving medical care — and it had worked.

Maybe this one wasn’t so bad.

<Deepest apologies for my lapse in judgement,> Jian droned deeply as his muzzle whiskers massaged the muscles and tendons around Tony’s stifle. <I should have asked if you preferred the privacy of one of the stalls. We have been converting a few of the box stalls into examination rooms, you know.>

Tony tossed his head again, but when he came up, his ears were perked.

<It was no lapse, Jian. His staring just was starting to bother me. I don’t like being gawked at. Especially by humans.>

<They do seem to have all the shame of an unweaned foal, do they not?> Jian chuckled. <Well, as to your stifle, I’m sure you will be pleased but unsurprised to hear that it is not broken, but merely bruised, likely in the connective tissues. It is currently swelling and that should be seen to. Please remain as you are and I will fetch an orchid petal and apply it.>

Tony remained where he was and kept his weight off his right hindleg as Jian went through the awkward affair of rising to his own feet. Once standing, the lion-maned avatar stretched and ambled over to his workbench. 

The vertical plain of the workbench was peppered with small drawers, complete with tiny iron pulls. With one whisker, Jian pulled open one of the drawers, while with the other he had selected a pair of delicate tiny tongs from one of the many tool cases strewn across the work bench. With the whisker wrapped around the tongs, the other sorted carefully through the sheaves of upright paper that filled the small drawer. After a moment of investigation, Jian plucked out what appeared to be a dried, pressed petal that had come from a deep purple flower. Jian closed the drawer and opened another, selecting a small swatch of clean linen. This he dipped into a glass vessel of water that sat capped on the workbench.

With moistened linen and carefully tong-held pressed flower petal in whisker, Jian returned to Tony’s side. He carefully flopped down again on the floor and began carefully probing the sore portion of Tony’s stifle.

<Tell me where the sharpest pain is,> he commanded as he methodically pressed tiny segments of Tony’s leg.

“There,” Tony answered with a wince, but tried not to move.

Jian dabbed at the spot with the moistened linen until it was soaked, then applied the dried, pressed flower petal to the spot. Tony turned his head to watch the petal doing its work.

The petal, which was so thin you could easily see through it, quickly adhered to the wet spot Jian had made on his leg. The avatar carefully pressed all of it into the spot with the tongs, and tried to encourage it deeper towards the skin rather than simply sitting on the hair. It didn’t take long before the petal had dissolved into what looked like a dark, purple-black oil patch on his tawny fur. Jian’s efforts to work the substance into his hair so that it would get to the skin wasn’t the most comfortable, however. He was not only poking at the most sensitive spot in the bruise, but also brushing the hair backwards. Still, it was getting the job done. 

<Try not to move,> Jian commanded superfluously. Tony nodded, having plenty of experience with the petals.

Blood alchemics always felt odd when they began to work on you. Soon after the petal had been reduced to an oil stain on his fur, Tony felt the familiar cold-yet-hot sensation of it reach his skin and then permeate through into his leg. It felt like a sort of freezing and burning water spreading through the spot. It wasn’t exactly pleasant or unpleasant, it was just odd. 

Tony had little experience with most blood alchemics with a few exceptions. His original owner had poured a youth potion on him to slow his aging as a colt, and there was the dragon stone and a couple other time-processing items Eric had given him. Besides those things, he had fairly regular experiences with the purple-black orchid petals due to the injuries common with being a teaser stallion to mares that were many times his size. 

The youth potion had felt like an energizing bucket of cold water dumped all over him. He remembered it had made all his skin tingle and he felt alive and excited in the way you do when stepping out into a brisk morning after a snow. He’d jumped and pranced and generally kicked up his heels at the energy of it. 

The dragon stones and other time-processing items didn’t really result in any sensations like the direct-application blood alchemics, but you’d feel tired and run-down more if you took them off. Tony preferred to wear his in the form of a socketed breast collar and cynch. That was common way equine-bodied owners of the proximity-effect blood alchemics kept their items close, though the halter model was also possible. Two-leggers usually wore belts. 

Tony had seen other blood alchemics at work, of course. Some could be downright disturbing. The ones that literally changed the bodily structure of those they were applied to were the most horrifying in his experience. The “blood of wings” blood alchemics literally caused bone and flesh to move, grow, and reform so that the victim of it grew wings over the course of a day. Apparently the transition was very disconcerting and led to a ravenous hunger. And the “bolt of the gods” could change a stallion to a mare and vice versa in the course of a few hours. From what he’d seen, the process was not the most pleasant for those forced to experience it and it too resulted in a voracious appetite, both for food and other things. Some among the two-leggers chose the changes eagerly, but the equines they were used on never had that luxury of choice.

<There you are,> Jian declared after a while. He inspected the spot closely and poked at it with his tiny tongs. Tony felt nothing out of the ordinary other than the gently brushing of the tong tips through his fur. <How does it feel?>

Tony stretched his hindleg, careful to keep from inadvertently kicking Jian. 

“Feels like it is back to normal. Thank you.”

<Excellent,> Jian said with a nod. <Now, perhaps you had best find your shameless new charge before he gets into too much trouble?>


	8. Impromptu Unicorn Midwifery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While wandering around the foaling barns, the ex-pirate Rahkus gets press-ganged to aid a mare in need. A foal is stuck trying to enter the world the wrong way up and it seems he's the only one who can return things to smooth sailing once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTES: WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: horse giving birth, non-graphic description of foaling, dystocia in a mare, turning a malpositioned foal, vague descriptions of birthing fluids and membranes, dialog in another language, non-English dialog translated, passing reference to slaughter of horse for meat, passing reference to castration, passing reference to unwanted children
> 
> Estimated reading time: 12 mins

After Tony told him to go away, Rahkus wandered back into the foaling barn where he’d been earlier. The pair of dwarves had taken most of the unicorn mares from him and directed him in leading the other two into stalls. 

Leading horses… unicorns… whatever… had been relatively fine out in the pastures and fields. Inside the barn was another matter entirely. The mares didn’t want to go as easily as they had before. Rahkus thought it was probably because it was darker inside than it was outside, even if it was unnaturally bright inside the barns. 

Rahkus returned down the alley of boxed stalls and looked in at the mares he’d brought in. He had to stand on his tip-toes to see over the stalls’ half doors because they were too tall for him to comfortably look over. 

The gray mare that had been kicking and biting at herself was standing in a corner of her stall with her backside facing the door. Her ears were back and her tail was up. She occasionally strained and grunted like she was trying to shit but couldn’t, but he assumed she was trying to birth her foal. Occasionally she pissed a little and paced around, but always returned to her corner.

Rahkus wondered what a horse having a foal looked like. Or what a newly born foal looked like. Or how big they’d be. He’d never seen anything giving birth aside from one of the ship cats that had kittens in the lower decks in a broken out shipping crate. The kittens had come out looking like little wet rats in a sort of clearish blue bag. Almost like sausage casings. And there was a lot of wet. Not blood exactly, but reddish brown water. He expected it would be similar for a horse. But with one foal. Horses only had one, right?

A clatter from down the alley of stalls drew Rahkus’ attention.

A great tawny-coated, black-maned horse — or avatar, more like — was coming down the alley at a brisk trot. The two dwarves from earlier jogged beside to keep up. 

The avatar was a queer thing. Its chest was draped with what looked like blue silks, it had what for all rights had to be gold bands around its hooves, and there was jangly golden jewelry tied into its mane. On its head was more gold. It had blue and gold paint or tattoos around its eyes, a gold helmet with wings coming down on either side of its head, and one of the middle of its forehead sprang a golden horn that split into two prongs that surrounded… a ball of red fire?

Whatever this avatar was, it was coming right for him. Quickly. 

That was all that registered to Rahkus as he stared at the oncoming avatar. He couldn’t outrun the thing — where would he go? So he flattened himself against the half door to the gray unicorn mare’s stall and did his best to stay out from under hoof.

The thing seemed to notice him, but apparently had little time for him. The avatar obviously looked him up and down curiously as it trotted past. From that angle, Rahkus could see that the thing not only had a flaming golden horn, but also golden wings with jeweled feathers, silk skirts of all things wrapped around its haunches, and golden bands around its tail. And there was more gold woven into the tail as well.

The avatar chittered something in what Rahkus was rapidly learning was the avatar language as it trotted past. One of the jogging dwarves translated.

“C’mon. The Queen wants you to come lend a hand.”

\-------------------------

As it turned out, Rahkus did indeed have to lend a hand. Two in fact. And a good portion of his arms.

Before Rahkus really knew what was going on, the avatar — through the two assistant dwarves who translated — talked him through the process of scrubbing and oiling his hands and arms, then reaching elbow-deep into the backside of a cream-colored unicorn pony mare. Such that the dwarves hurriedly explained, the foal was upside down and had to be turned or else it would die, and likely the mare along with it. But the dwarves’ hands and forearms were too big to get into the small mare’s womanly parts while the foal’s head and forelimbs were there too. Apparently foals were supposed to enter the world face- and front feet-first so they could get up and run.

Once he had reached both hands and arms into the mare, as odd as it was to have his arms up inside a living creature, Rahkus didn’t have difficulty finding the upside down head and shoulders of the little slick foal and turning it over as instructed. Getting his arms back out was more of a feat. With her foal no longer stuck upside down, the mare decided she was done with this display of her business and laid down in the thick pile of straw.

The avatar, through the translating dwarves, instructed them all to back off and let the mare birth the foal on her own without interference. Apparently once the foal was right side up, it would be no difficulty. 

It wasn’t. The little pony mare made short work of the birth once she was laying down. After a minute or two of straining, the mare pushed out the wet little foal into the straw without much fanfare. Rahkus had heard that women screamed a lot when they birthed a child — which made sense, given how big a thing was coming out of so small a hole — but the mare only grunted. The foal was tiny compared to the mare, but it was still at least the size of a dog, so no small feat. And now that it was out, the mare seemed content to stay lying down.

Rahkus had heard tell you were supposed to hear a baby cry right after it was born. Horses didn’t cry though, did they? How did you know if a foal was right? This one looked like it was half draped in wet, thin sailcloth bag that wrapped around its lower parts and it wasn’t moving. Its feet looked like the swollen doughy hands of a drowned man who’d been in the water long enough to putrefy, but not so long as to sink. Perhaps the foal had died while it was stuck?

One of the dwarves — the one Rahkus thought was maybe a woman since its beard was not as long as the other’s — fetched a piece of straw and made a loop with it. The dwarf took the foal’s limp head in one hand and swished the looped straw around in the little creature’s nostrils, drawing out cords of slimy gunk and debris. This rough treatment convinced the thing to breathe. It gasped and jerked slightly. It flailed weakly and tried to move its head away from the dwarf. The mare looked over herself to see what was being done to her foal, but seemed uninterested in defending it.

Rahkus realized that the wet, flailing little foal had no horn or anything on its head besides a white patch of fur. Or maybe that was the ever-present straw that was starting to coat the slimy little thing. The two dwarves busied themselves with cleaning and rubbing and checking the foal. Rahkus kept out of the way. He did keep a lookout on the mare, however, remembering what Tony had said about unicorn mares rejecting their mundane foals.

“S’a little colt,” announced the long-bearded dwarf, who had pulled the sailcloth-looking bag off the foal’s hind legs and raised one to check its nethers.

“Probably 12 stone, you think?” the shorter-bearded one asked. The longer-bearded one “mm-hmmed” and nodded.

“Maybe 12 and a half,” he added.

The sound of the avatar speaking the bird-horse language drew Rahkus’ attention away from the dwarves and their efforts. The gold-wearing avatar was looking at him expectantly.

“Ah, uh… Ah dunno wot’che said. Tony’s just started teachin’ me yer tongue.”

The avatar turned to one of the dwarves — the more man-looking one of the two — and twittered something at him. At least one of the words was “mare” such that Rahkus could suss out. The dwarf didn’t stop working on the foal, but started translating.

“She said thanks for the help with Cobbler here,” the dwarf said, gesturing to the resting mare, as he brushed off the foal’s drying coat to remove the clinging straw. “This ‘ere li’l un might not have made it out breathing if he stayed in much longer, and she wasn’t able to get him out upside down like he was.”

The avatar chirruped an addition.

“She also asked why you’re so small since you look like a human,” the longer-bearded dwarf translated.

Rahkus shrugged. 

“Ah am. Human, Ah mean. An’ jist… always been small. Were sick azza child’n such. But Ah were small t’en too.”

“You sound like one of the Northern dwarves. Got the accent,” the dwarf said. Rahkus didn’t think he was translating that time, but also didn’t know what to say to that.

“Ah’m Irish.”

“Well, good t’meet you, Irish. I’m Farald, by the way,” the dwarf said, offering a sticky hand to shake. Rahkus wasn’t too keen to get more of the birthing fluids and much all over him again, but he shook anyway.

“That’s Rodina,” the long-bearded dwarf added, nodding in the direction of the shorter-bearded dwarf. “And she’s the Queen,” he concluded, introducing the avatar.

“Oh, uh… Good t’meet’che,” Rahkus answered, bobbing his head he oped respectfully back at the trio. “M’name’s Rahkus, though. Irish is m’race. R’nation? Ye ‘ave nations ‘ere?”

“Ah, gotcha. Apologies,” the longer-bearded Farald said as he vigorously rubbed the increasingly fluffy foal’s ribs. They were very obvious, like the thing had been starving away inside its mother all this time. The other dwarf, Rodina, was cleaning the straw off of its face. The little thing was bright orangy red under all the muck that came out of the mare with it.

“And yeah, we do have nations after a fashion. Not that Ownteli recognizes any besides themself,” Farald said in what Rahkus identified was a meaningful tone. It was that sort of way of saying something that is often talked about, even if not in the present talk. 

“The dwarves’ve got different nations. Like the Northern Dwarves are a sort of nation, and we’re one too, us from the  Briste Pláta Range here,”  the shorter-bearded dwarf piped up as she was looking over the mare

“Ta’s… Gaelic,” Rahkus said quizzically. “‘Broken plates?’”

“Yes indeed!” Farald nodded. “Though I’ve never heard of Gaelic. That’s just the name of the mountains in Old Fey.”

Rahkus scowled.

“‘S te old tongue a me island, bahk home.”

The dwarf snorted but the Queen avatar interrupted, looking very curiously at Rahkus. After a moment, the longer-bearded dwarf translated again.

“She asked if you mean to say your language of Gaelic is our language of the Old Fey?”

Rahkus looked from the dwarf to the gold-wearing horse. Then shrugged.

“Ah dunno?”

The Queen trilled something apparently to the dwarves.

“Aright,” Farald answered as he began picking straw out of his beard. “D'iarr sí orm labhairt leat mar seo. An dtuigeann tú mé?”* he asked absently.

“Sea,”** Rahkus managed after thinking through what he had asked. While Gaelic was his ancestral tongue, that didn’t mean he knew it well.

“Conas a fuair tú anseo?”*** Rodina asked.

“Uh… Gabhadh mo long. And, uh… Tugadh anseo mé. Thug an deamhan cat post dom anseo.”****

This drew sharp looks from the two dwarves and what sounded like laughter from the avatar. When it — she? — stopped laughing, she uttered a string of avatar-language noise. 

“She said that makes sense. Common species like humans look different in other worlds.”

Rahkus nodded to the avatar awkwardly, not really sure who to react to; the talking avatar or the translating dwarf. Talking to horses, even ones decked out in gold, still felt queer and unnatural. He decided to try to change the subject.

“So wot, uh… wot’ll ‘appen wit’im t’en?” Rahkus asked, nodding in the direction of the foal. “‘E’s no unicorn, Ah see.”

The avatar nodded officiously and rattled off a string of what sounded like no-nonsense answer. Eventually Farald said, “Once he gets up, we’ll get Cobbler up and see if she lets him suckle. If she won’t, we’ll hobble her so he can, then we’ll put him in with the other mundane newborns. Their dams don’t want them and won’t let them suckle, so we keep them on a nurse cow for a month or so, then they’ll be weaned and sold.”

Rahkus nodded distractedly. His mind drifted to what Tony had said earlier; the little foal would probably be sold to be fattened and slaughtered, or else be tied up and get his bollocks cut off by someone with a knife if he didn’t go for meat. Poor little mite.

Rahkus was a tad surprised at the uncomfortable sympathy that pained him; he’d never cared much for beasts. The ships cats were always pleasant enough, and he’d enjoyed stealing and joyriding ponies when in dock, but he’d never given much thought to what might happen to them, least of all cared. But he figured his sentiments might have been stirred for this little fellow since he helped bring him into the world alive. Add to that, there was something a bit familiar about a little red-haired beggar who found himself brought into the world and unwanted by his mother. 

Taking common cause with an animal. Odd thought that, Rahkus mused. But then again, this was a queer, fey place. Perhaps it was getting to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRANSLATED FROM IRISH (via Google Translate)
> 
> *She asked me to talk to you like this. Do you understand me?
> 
> **Yes
> 
> ***How did you get here?
> 
> ****My ship was captured. And, uh… I was brought here. The cat demon gave me a job here.
> 
> \--------------------------
> 
> HIATUS: This story will be going on hiatus for the duration of November while I work on another project for NaNoWriMo. Posting on this story will resume Dec. 3.


End file.
